


Living Arrangements

by orphan_account



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: F/F, Modern AU, University AU, character tags will appear as characters do
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 07:04:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8568862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Éponine knew there were a lot of things she was going to have to get used to, at university. She just didn't expect one of those things to be sharing a room with Cosette. She also didn't expect one of those things to be realizing she was a lesbian. Yes, the two were related.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoy!

                               Éponine wasn't quite sure what to expect upon opening the door to her new room. Her  _shared_ new room. It wasn't like she'd never shared a room before; in fact, she couldn't remember a time when she hadn't. She'd been rooming with Azelma in her family's grungy old apartment for years and years- but that was different. She knew Azelma. Azelma understood her in a way that some cheerful, naive university student out to make a difference just never would.

                               In the brief moment before twisting the silvery handle to the room, Éponine imagined what her flatmate might be like. Maybe an athlete who would always be out running or have their headphones in and wouldn't ever want to talk. There was a hope. Or maybe a writer type who'd need complete silence at all times and at least three cups of coffee a day. Well, at least they'd have common ground. Someone who always had friends over. A loud, unapologetic guitar player. Someone who would do talking enough for the both of them.

                               In the span of thirty seconds, list upon list of different possibilities went through Éponine's head. But the one thing she hadn't ever anticipated, had never dared to imagine, was standing right behind that door when she opened it. Cosette. Soft tufts of shoulder-length, brunette hair that had an electric blue streaked into it, now. Warm brown eyes. Smooth, brown skin. Cosette.

                               It felt like there should have been a heavier, longer silence, but they stared at each other for only a moment before Cosette blinked twice, then spoke.

                               "Hey," she smiled and why, why was she smiling? In Cosette's place, Éponine would likely request a room change right then and there. "I'm Cosette. You must be my flatmate," she spoke with a casual sort of friendliness. Éponine hesitated before reaching out her own dark hand to shake Cosette's. Cosette had a stronger grip than one might expect when first looking at her.

                               Another short pause. "I must be," Éponine answered. That made Cosette laugh and Éponine laughed a bit, too, even though she hadn't meant it as a joke. Éponine tried to search her face, to see if there was any hint of recognition or... or fear, or loathing. There was nothing. Just a sweet, polite smile.

                               "Well, it's good to have you. I took the bed on the left, but I'm happy to trade if you need."

                               Éponine glanced over to the left side of the room. From the looks of it, Cosette had quite the liking for lavender, poetry, flowers, and abstract art. Go figure. 

                                "The right's fine. Thanks, though," she replied, feeling more abashedly shy and reserved than she had in possibly her whole life. She couldn't help it. She hadn't seen Cosette for years and years, back when her parents would occasionally take in foster kids for the money. They treated Cosette horribly, the way they treated anyone that couldn't get them what they wanted. Éponine had just sort of gone along with it as a child, back when their family wasn't in total economic distress and she was still a little doll in her parents' eyes. Now, though, they barely had enough to eat each week and, as Éponine refused any longer to steal for them, she was out in the cold. She was going to university on scholarships and with money she'd earned on her own. Any semblance of the love that she thought her parents _might_ have once held for her was gone. On the one hand, that was heartbreaking. She knew they weren't good people, knew she shouldn't care what they thought... but they were what she'd known for the first nineteen years of her life. She didn't like it, and she was truly trying to break away from it, but she was still attached to them. But she had cut that string to go to university. And now, here was Cosette, and suddenly, Éponine was reminded of all of the reasons they were horrible. She had to get away from them. She had to.

                                "What was your name again?" Éponine blinked. Did Cosette really not remember? She found that hard to believe; the Thénardiershad been horrible to her, shouting and demeaning her and forcing her to do lots and lots of housework. Surely that wasn't something that just up and floated away from your memory? But maybe it was, Éponine certainly wouldn't know. Maybe the kindness of that strange man who had adopted Cosette had purged the cruelty she had experienced from her memory.

                                 "It's Éponine."

                                 "Oh, that's pretty." Éponine snorted, and then immediately regretted it. She had no business being snarky or rude to the girl she'd so horrendously bullied and teased all those years ago. Cosette gave her an odd look, but smiled nonetheless.

                                 "I don't mean to be rude, I just- I suppose it is a pretty name. Very Romantic. But other kids didn't always appreciate that," she explained, doing her best to laugh it off. Cosette nodded her understanding and Éponine felt a little flower of relief open up in her chest. 

                                 "I understand. I was teased relentless for my name in school," Cosette laughed a small, sad laugh and for a moment Éponine wished she wouldn't. She wanted Cosette to be truly happy. But then, Éponine furrowed her brow. Cosette wasn't such a bad name, certainly not enough to be relentlessly teasable. She told Cosette as much, despite her desire to remain polite. She really had to work on that whole "thinking before she spoke" thing. "I suppose that's true. Cosette is a nickname," she explained. Éponine found that very interesting. She'd never known that. 

                                  "Do you want to tell me the name you were teased for, then?" Éponine said, trying to do the whole joking around, we're-flatmates-and-best-friends- thing. It felt very fake. 

                                   But it didn't matter, because the amusement was gone from Cosette's face. She looked not unhappy, but not quite as joyful as she had only moments before, either.

                                   "Maybe some other time," she said, and Éponine nodded.

                                   "Some other time."

* * *

 

                                   Cosette was like no one Éponine could have imagined when it came to being a roommate. She was quiet enough, opting to put in only one of her extremely twisted headphones _(how on earth did she do that)_ and listen to music as she sketched while Éponine unpacked. But she wasn't silent; occasionally, when a song she really enjoyed came on, she would hum to it, tapping her pencil to the beat. She seemed to have an affinity for Broadway musicals. Cosette would also randomly make comments to Éponine- _( "i love your top, by the way," "is the temperature okay for you?" "are you excited for classes to start?")_ \- to which Éponine would give her best answer and duck her head as she blushed. It was kind of nice. And Éponine couldn't help but start to talk back, getting more and more comfortable as the thours progressed. Still, she wouldn't use to having someone be so... interested in her life. In her. Except, maybe, Marius.

                                   Shit. Marius. She checked her phone to see four red marks indicating unread messages. "Oh no," Éponine sighed, dropping the flannel jacket she'd been folding and spreading her hands over her face. She didn't have to turn to face Cosette to know that the other girl was staring at her with concern.

                                   "What's wrong?" she asked with that gently angelic voice of hers, and Éponine turned in time to see her setting her sketchpad down and getting off the bed, stretching a little and holding in a yawn. Éponine had to resist the urge to call her "adorable." But she was adorable; she reminded Éponine greatly of a stray kitten she used to play with and give spare food, on the rare occasion that she had it. 

                                   "Nothing, nothing's wrong," Éponine told her, running a hand through her own coarse hair. "My friend wanted to meet up for coffee, is all, and I forgot text him back. He's just been a little worried, you know, about starting university and all that. I don't want him to freak out, as he might."

                                   "Oh," and there she was, back to that soft, ever-smiling face. "Could you just text him back now and go?"

                                   "Maybe, but the place he wants to go is off campus and I, uh, don't have a ride," Éponine said awkwardly, glancing away from Cosette's face and to her phone so that she could a. start to think of how to reply to Marius and b. avoid that incredible kindness she knew was about to come her way, flooding everything else she'd ever known.

                                    "I could totally give you a ride!" she said, like Éponine had _asked_ for that, but she hadn't, she really hadn't. Éponine was not good at asking people for things. She supposed it stemmed from not being able to ask her parents for much or, really, anything for most of her life. Éponine liked to be able to get the things she needed on her own. But was that because she wanted to? Or because she'd always had to? Éponine took a look at the most recent pretending-not-to-be-panicked-text from Marius and resolved herself to not be so damn stubborn.

                                     "That would be great, if you could."

                                     "Awesome! Let me just grab my jacket," Cosette answered, searching around for a moment _(she seemed even more disorganized than Éponine, god)_ before realizing her jean jacket was draped over the top of her desk chair, hanging half-way off, and placed it over her pretty yellow sundress. Éponine gulped, hoping it wasn't visible. She didn't know quite why, but all of the sudden, she was feeling nervous and blushy and not entirely like herself. Or maybe more life herself. She didn't know.

* * *

                                     When they arrived at the coffee shop Marius had suggested, Éponine didn't go inside right away. She fumbled with her seatbelt for a moment and then did something that was both brave and ridiculous. She didn't understand why it was either of those things quite yet.

                                     "Do you want to come inside with me? I bet you and Marius would really hit it off. He's, like, my best friend."

                                     "Uh, sure! That'd be nice. I'm ordering hot chocolate, though," she laughed and they both got out of the car as Cosette recounted the numerous times when she'd tried and gagged on coffee. They couldn't stop laughing as they reached the door, and didn't go in right when they got there. Éponine could see Marius through the glass, making polite conversation with one of the baristas. Good for him- he often got very shy when talking to people, stumbling over his words. She liked to see that he was growing out of it.

                                      "So, I don't drink coffee," Cosette finished, and Éponine wondered if her face was sore from smiling. She knew that when she smiled or laughed too much, it always started to hurt, but maybe for people like Cosette, who seemed as though they were born to be smiling, it didn't.

                                      "That's surprising to me," Éponine said, face hurting for the aforementioned reasons. 

                                      "Why?"

                                      "I don't know, you just kind of have the personality of someone who seems like they would like coffee. I mean, you're an artist and you're so cheerful and chipper."

                                      "You know, I'd be offended that you called me chipper, but coming from the Queen of Pragmatism, it doesn't really surprise me," Cosette teased. Was that flirting? No, no. 

                                      Éponine was being ridiculous. It was just good ol' fashioned friendly banter. And it wasn't like she wanted it to be anything else. She was straight. But she could happily play along with the teasing. "Was that a joke I heard? Cosette, how _scandalous_ ," Éponine said in a rather dramatic fashion. Cosette giggled. "And anyway, you've known me for what, three hours? How do you know I'm pragmatic?" she asked, but then felt a twinge of guilt. They'd been flatmates that long, but that wasn't how long they'd known each other.

                                      "Wild guess. We should go in," Cosette proposed. "Your friend is waiting."

                                      "Right."

                                      They went in and sat down next to Marius, who had finished talking to the barista and was now sipping at his coffee, phone in hand. "Éponine!" he said when he looked up as they walked toward him. He got up rather clumsily and hugged her. She smiled. "Oh, and- I don't know you," he said to Cosette, and his cheeks immediately turned a vivid pink. "I mean, hi. Hello. I'm Marius. And you are?"

                                      "Honored to meet you," Cosette joked, but also didn't joke. It was an art that Éponine was quickly realizing that Cosette was well-versed in; the art of joking but being serious. "But as for my name, I'm called Cosette."

                                      "Cosette. That's pretty."

                                      "Thank you. Shall we sit?" Cosette said to Éponine, who quickly nodded. The barista came by and Éponine ordered the sugariest beverage she could get her hands on that was under ten dollars. Marius was having green tea and Cosette, as promised, ordered hot chocolate with a sly glance to Éponine, who snorted. Marius had asked if she was okay and patted her on the back, thinking it was a cough.

                                      It was a nice afternoon. They all sat talking, sharing stories and wondering what their first year of university would be like. Cosette and Marius did get along well together, just as Éponine had predicted. _Maybe a little too well_ , she thought, but then shut that thought down quickly. What on earth would that mean? It wasn't like she had feelings for Marius. It was true that at one point, she thought she might have, but she'd quickly realized that a relationship between them would not work out. Still, when she excused herself to the toilet and came back moments later, she didn't expect them to be exchanging numbers. But why shouldn't they? They were allowed to be friends. Maybe Éponine did still like Marius and was jealous of Cosette.

                                  _Or maybe,_ a little voice in the back of her head said _, it's the other way around._

                                     "Hey, I've gotta run," Cosette said when Éponine approached. "Is it alright if you get a ride back with Marius?"

                                     "Sure."

                                     "See you at home. Bye, Marius!" she said and turned, walking away with that little spring in her step. Éponine realized she was watching her the same way Marius was and cleared her throat. She took a swig of her coffee. Just sweet enough to disintegrate her teeth past the point of no return, she was sure. But God knew she needed it. She knew four things in that moment: Cosette didn't remember her or their shared childhood, she and Cosette were now living together, and she was pretty sure she was gay. And that she liked Cosette.

                                      "You guys get each others' numbers?" Éponine threw a smile in Marius' direction, and he nodded. She didn't think she'd ever seen him look more euphoric. "You okay?"

                                      "Yeah. I actually managed to ask her out. We're going on a date!"

                                       ...Six. She knew six things.

                                    

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I don't know how consistently I'll be updating this, but I'm going to try to at least every two weeks or so! <3


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